On the challenge of simulating dipolar contributions to spin relaxation with generalized cluster correlation expansion methods

TL;DR

This paper investigates the limitations of the generalized Cluster-Correlation Expansion (gCCE) method in simulating dipolar contributions to spin relaxation at low temperatures, revealing fundamental theoretical shortcomings.

Contribution

The study provides a detailed mathematical analysis of gCCE's failure to accurately model spin-spin relaxation, highlighting the need for method improvements.

Findings

gCCE fails to qualitatively describe spin-spin relaxation

Mathematical analysis identifies the source of gCCE's limitations

Insights for future development of more accurate simulation methods

Abstract

The study of spin decoherence is often performed by assuming that spin-phonon interactions lead to relaxation at high temperatures, and spin-spin dipolar interactions instead contribute to pure dephasing at low temperatures. This has resulted in the neglect of spin relaxation due to spin-spin dipolar interactions and its influence on decoherence at low temperatures. For a complete understanding of low temperature spin dynamics, it is then imperative to focus also on the latter mechanism. One such method which has shown great promise in the efficient calculation of central spin dynamics due to spin-spin dipolar interactions with a surrounding spin bath is the Cluster-Correlation Expansion (CCE). An extension of this method through the explicit inclusion of the central spin degrees of freedom, known as the generalized Cluster-Correlation Expansion (gCCE) is capable of simulating the transfer of energy from the central spin into the bath, and thus could have the potential to investigate spin relaxation in this setting. In this work, we show that gCCE, in its standard form, is insufficient for providing even a qualitatively accurate description of spin-spin relaxation. A full mathematical deconstruction of the underlying theory of gCCE clearly points to the origin of such a breakdown and provides a starting point for its potential future resolution.